Sample Plans and Discussion Points for Seven Books
Leech, Bryan Jeffrey, (1994). John Jeremy Colton. New York, NY: Hyperion Books For Children. Although shunned by his neighbors because of his oddly colored house, John Jeremy Coulton proves he is capable of being a hero in a time of crisis.
Themes on which students can focus:
People may not be what we think they are.
Heroes appear in the least likely places.
Anyone could be a hero.Possible questions:
- What did John Jeremy feel like when the children did not return?
- What did the children feel like when they were not allowed to return?
- How did Mrs. Hythe-Potter feel when she was on the roof?
- How did Mrs. Hythe-Potter feel at the end?
- What caused her to change her mind?
- How did the other towns people feel?
Edwards, Michelle. (1994) Eve and Smithy an Iowa tale. New York: NY. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books. Smithy tries to think of a gift for Eve his neighbor who gardens and paints pictures in Iowa.
Themes on which students can focus:
People can be friends at any age.
Modern art can be enjoyed by anyone.
Presents are gifts of love and caring.
We can all enjoy different things.
We can help and care for people in different ways.Possible questions:
- How did Eve and Smithy feel about each other?
- How did Eve and Smithy demonstrate those feelings?
- Do you know people like Eve and Smithy?
- Do you think Eve and Smithy cared for the gifts they exchanged?
- What was the most important thing that Eve and Smithy had?
Leeuwen, Jean Van & Juan Wijngaard. (1994) Emma Bean. New York: NY. Dial Book for Young Readers. Emma Bean, a homemade toy rabbit, joins Molly at birth and shares her trials and triumphs as she grows from infant to girl.
Themes on which students can focus:
Objects become what we make them.
Possible questions:
- What made Emma Bean special?
- What makes things special for you?
- How did Molly feel when ... pick a time eat green beans, when they played rabbit, when she would dress her, wanted to run away from home, when she went to school for the first time, when she met Sara Louise ... or choose another time.
- How did other characters in the book feel, Grandmother, Father, Mother... at different times.
Wilbur, Richard & Barry Moser. (1994) A game of catch. New York: NY. Harcourt Brace & Company. Three boys play a game of catch until one begins to feel left out and looks for a way to fit in again.
Themes on which students can focus:
People want to belong.
We all enjoy different things.
We help and care for people in different ways.Possible questions:
- Stop when Schoo asks to play catch and ask the students what they think Schoo, Monk, and Glennie are thinking.
- Stop again after Schoo misses a catch and the boys are going to take turns for five minutes. Discuss predictions and how each boy may feel.
- Discuss at the end of the story how each person may have felt.
Nolen, Jerdine and Mark Buehner? (1994). Harvey Potter's balloon farm. New York, NY: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books. A child ventures out in the middle of the night to see how Harvey Potter grows his wonderful balloons.
Themes on which students can focus:
Some people are afraid of what they don’t understand.
People enjoy what other people do for them.Possible questions:
- How did Wheezle Mayfield feel?
- How did the town people feel?
- How did Harvey Potter feel when he gave his balloons to others?
Can you find a rabbit, tyrannosaurus rex, a cat, a chicken, a cow, and a pig hidden in each illustration?
Moss, Thylias & illustrations by Jerry Pinkney (1993). I want to be. New York: NY. Dial Book for Young Readers. After some though a young girl describes in poetic terms the kind of person she wants to be.
Themes on which students can focus:
People want to be many things.
Possible questions:
- What do you want to be?
- Do you get tired of people asking you the question "What do you want to be?
- Why do you think people ask you that question?
Paterson, Katherin., (1994). Flip-Flop Girl. Dutton: NY. Lodestar Books. Uprooted following the death of their father, nine-year-old Vinnie and her brother, Mason, cope in different ways- one in silence- but both with the help of Lupe, the flip-flop girl.
Themes on which students can focus:
Different people cope with grief differently.
Different people cope with death differently.
Different people cope with moving differently.
Peer pressure can cause people to overlook some people as friends.Possible questions:
- This book gives ample opportunity for questions about any of these themes.
- Questions about why Vinnie would act the way she did at a variety of times.
- Questions about how she felt when her father died, when her brother bothered her, when she moved, when she had to leave her one friend behind, when she went to a new school, when Heather would not be her friend, when she met Lupe, and after she found out about Lupe’s father...
- How Mr. Paxton felt about her at different times from the beginning to the end (particularly why he reacted the way he did about the barrettes and his car).
- How her mother and grandmother felt about her.
- How students feel about her actions.